MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Prince Philip’s funeral: Meghan advised not to fly, Internet says she flew to NY ‘heavily pregnant for baby shower’

Meghan Markle reportedly made 'every effort' to travel but didn’t receive medical clearance from her physician. Online, many seemed to find this hypocritical as they pointed out how she traveled in 2019 to New York for an expensive baby shower

Prince Harry will travel to the United Kingdom to attend the April 17 funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip, who died at age 99 on Friday, April 9. This will be the Duke of Sussex’s first return home since he and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped away from the royal family in 2020. However, Meghan will reportedly not be making this trip. 

The relationship between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family has experienced a substantial amount of stress. The Sussexes moving away from the royal household -- and from England altogether -- already put things in a precarious position. But last month, when the couple gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey, alleging racism and other examples of bad behavior from the royal establishment, including "perpetuating falsehoods" about her and Harry, things got more complicated still. 

READ MORE

Prince Philip hid cracked rib at Harry and Meghan’s wedding and was in ‘agony’ but ‘nothing was going to stop him’

Where are Meghan Markle and Harry now? Duchess could use pregnancy as ‘perfect excuse’ leaving Duke to travel alone

Shortly before the full interview aired, Buckingham Palace said it was "very concerned" by tabloid reports that Meghan bullied staff during her time at Kensington Palace and planned to investigate the allegations. After Prince Philip’s passing, Meghan and Harry released a statement about Philip on the homepage of the website for their non-profit, Archewell: "In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021. Thank you for your service... You will be greatly missed."

Now, as per reports, Buckingham Palace said: "The Duke of Sussex is planning to attend. The Duchess of Sussex has been advised by her physician not to travel. So the Duke will be attending." Royal reporter Omid Scobie said, "Prince Harry will attend his grandfather's funeral on Saturday (following all US and UK Covid-19 protocols in the process). A source adds that Meghan, who is heavily pregnant, made 'every effort' to travel but didn’t receive medical clearance from her physician." Meghan, who revealed her pregnancy earlier this year, is expecting to give birth to a baby girl this summer.

The news of Meghan not attending the funeral found strong reactions online. On Twitter, many said the same thing. “But she could fly to New York whilst heavily pregnant for her $1M baby shower,” wrote a Twitter user. Another user said, “In May 2019 Meghan Markle flew to USA when she was pregnant for a baby shower but not able to fly to UK now !!” One Twitter user wrote, “Wasn’t she heavily pregnant when she used our money to fly to New York for an expensive baby shower? Very convenient to use the excuse of the pregnancy to avoid facing those described as devils on Earth #MeghanMarkle #RoyalFamily #HarryandMeghan #harry #PrincePhilip.”

People were referring to her February 2019 baby shower in New York that reportedly cost a whopping £232,000 ($300,000). The event was held at New York's luxurious Mark Hotel in the penthouse suite. Guests included Serena Williams, Amal Clooney, makeup artist Daniel Martin, and best friend Jessica Mulroney. 

There were, of course, also those who came to Meghan’s defense online. “Funny how the people calling Meghan Markle a disgrace to the Royal Family for attending an NYC baby shower, but not Prince Philip's funeral, are failing to mention the numerous times she flew while pregnant on behalf of the Queen. Or do Royal Tours not count as being dutiful?” wrote a Twitter user. Another said, “Dear Media #MeghanMarkle is very pregnant. She would be foolish to travel to the UK in a global pandemic that is spiking in the UK even for a funeral. Leave her alone. #PrincePhillip.”